WHY SKYRIM?!?

This week I am going to use you readers as what I like to call Shoulders to Complain On. This basically means that I am going to tell you all the things I absolutely despise about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Before I do so, though, I must fist officially state that I love the game itself, and couldn't imagine what I would have spent those countless hours of my life doing instead - bungee jumping maybe? No I hate heights. Anyways, all I'm trying to get across is that this game does in fact have some glitches and problems that should have been dealt with before releasing the game.

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While this game allows you to immerse yourself in the world of Skyrim and fight for the land you come to love, be that on the side of the Stormcloaks or the Imperials, it tends to take away from this experience with minor and major glitches.

For one, I noticed that once you have reached a certain number of save points in the game, usually surpassing 450-500 saves, the game gradually slows down. But not only does the gameplay start to lag, but actually it starts to stop completely. For example, I was in the middle of entering one of the many Barrows you can find around the vast regions of Skyrim when the game completely froze in the middle of the loading screen.

This brings me to my next point, which is the fact that you have to save your game literally every twenty minutes in fear that you might lose all your progress so far. To all of you newbies to the Skyrim world, let me explain a little further for you, shall I?

Basically what I am saying is that the game doesn't automatically save your progress for you after a big accomplishment or mission, but rather only autosaves if you enter or exit a home, tomb, castle, ruin, etc. This means that if I were traveling across Skyrim to discover a new region, only to be killed by a Snow troll and I hadn't saved before this vicious attack, I would literally have to start back at the my last save point. This could legitimately kick me all the way back to my last successful mission.

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The last glitch, that I myself found annoying but could be considered a blessing to other players, actually happened to me first in Dawnstar. I was merely headed towards the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary - a safe haven for blood hungry assassins - when out of NOWHERE, not one but two dragons appear and start bombarding me with ice and flames. 

I, being unprepared in light armor with a dagger, sadly died quickly only to respawn and have the two bullies show up again. After countless attempts I, along with the Dawnstar townspeople and guard, finally managed to kill both dragons and I also absorbed both their souls. The thing to complain about here is that I had to use a number of potions and enchanted weapons to kill both of the dragons and keep myself alive and it took me nearly an hour to replenish my stocks.

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And with the note, I end my rant and thank any of you who read on through my full complaints. I must admit it feels really swell to get that all off of my chest.

Until next time...

Pierce The Veil

The Great Saltair was blaring with the sounds of music, and the screams of raging fans on November 14 when Pierce the Veil came to Salt Lake for a concert that I will remember for the rest of my teenage life.

I have to admit right now that I haven't been to very many concerts, actually I think that the small number of concerts I have been to would come across sounding pathetic, so I won't even try to defend myself. Instead I am just going to say right now that out of the tiny number of concerts I have been to, Pierce the Veil was by far the most exciting and fun by far.

With a vast array of fans and freak-out artists, Pierce the Veil had nothing to lose when they came on stage, and let me tell you, their performance was outstanding. I clearly remember confetti flying through the air, and a spinning silhouette of a woman at the back of the stage.

The band managed to get the crowd pumped up and cheering, even though we had been standing around for two hours, jumping to the beats of the other bands (Sleeping With Sirens, Tonight Alive) and even though my feet felt like they were going to drop off, I still had to get up and mosh it up with everyone else.

I swear I couldn't stop laughing.

I've never actually been a huge fan of the band up until that night, but the moment Vic Fuentes (Lead singer of Pierce The Veil) walked on stage, I couldn't stop myself from trying to sing along with the words that I obviously didn't know.

He had the greatest on stage personality that when the concert ended, my face felt frozen in a smile from all the jokes and quick-witted comments he made in between each and every song. He even cleared out the middle of the floor, and jumped down off the stage to dance around with the crowd.

All in all, the concert was as fun as fun could be. I mean if I had the choice of jumping into a pool of skittles, of seeing Pierce the Veil again I would choose.....Okay so maybe that was a bad analogy to use, but you get my point!

If you're not a fan of their music, or don't know who they are, than I demand you go and see them live...Right now....Go on!

Snow, Why Do You Torture Me So?!?

I know, I know, who am I to judge the snow, and accuse it of torture, right?

You may say that it's all pure and innocent, and gorgeous, but, you're wrong! Wrong I say! For one thing, it just lays around, blocking driveways and making driving considerably dangerous and heart pounding. I think I about died coming down the road from the house, which, I might add, is up in the middle of nowhere with the mountain people and maybe even the Blair Witch. In town, with the normal people, we got maybe three inches of snow at tops, yet somehow at my house the snow came up to my knees, and I actually had to trudge just to get into my car.

I don't know about you, but trudging isn't a word I use lightly. To me, trudging is not being able to pick up your feet and getting your socks soaked through to the bone; I think I might actually have frostbite on my toes. Not my favorite thing in the world.

Why?

Why can't we just live in a very happy, snow-free world? 

Okay, so maybe not completely snow-free, but couldn't we just have a designated snow zone. Then maybe, just maybe, keep everywhere else dry and tolerable. Think of it this way, a place where it snows all year around, and if you're a big skier, you can go to said zone while people like me stay happily warm and frost-bite free.

That's asking a lot, I am aware, but you can't judge me (maybe you can, but you shouldn't) because I'm sure there is something out there you hate as much as I hate snow. Forget the fact that at this very moment, while I write this, there is almost a white-out happening just outside my window, or that I have to walk out in this mayhem of a blizzard.

Forget that, what I am saying is that the snow and I don't and never will get along.....EVER!

Dishonored Review

Photo Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Dishonored_box_art_Bethesda.jpg
Image Source: Wikipedia 

Now, when I got this game, I have to admit I was freaking out. I swear, the moment after I buy a new game - especially one like this - the only thing I want to do is grab some Code Red, put my comfy clothes on, and lock myself away in my room....Which is exactly what I did.

The game itself is astonishing. You are thrown into the first-person stealth/adventure game, seeing through the eyes of Corvo Attano who has just been framed for the murder of the High Empress of Dunwall, an industrial city riddled by a vicious and lethal plaque. With nothing else to lose, you become an infamous assassin, out to right the wrongs committed against you. Skilled in stealth, combat, and blessed with gifts from The Outsider, an all powerful deity, that allow you to blink from one area to the next, possess animals and guards of Dunwall, and even see enemies through walls.

Pretty cool, huh?

Well, that's not even the best part my friends, oh no! "Dishonored", not only allows you to upgrade your weapons and powers through Bonecharms, and Whale-Bone Runes, but it is also affected by the choices you make. Right from the start of the game, the choices you make change the entire outcome; such as killing an enemy, or leaving them alive and merely sneaking past them. If you slit someones throat, you automatically become known as a ruthless masked killer on the prowl, and everyone in Dunwall is alert and afraid of you. Yet, when you sneak past an enemy and keep them alive, you become a mysterious and skilled escape artist, with the occasional whispered rumor about your existence. Be warned, the second option may seem interesting, but it took me long enough to achieve it. Not because I had to restrain myself from killing the guards, but because you literally cannot be detected once. Moving on, the other big player that affects the game is how you deal with your targets. I know you must be thinking that you have to kill them right when you see them, when there are actually a number of ways to take care of the target, even non-lethal ways. Make your choices, and decide the fate of Dunwall.

Photo Source: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/erikkain/files/2012/10/Dishonored-Assassinate.jpg

Image Source: Forbes

I was a bit disappointed, though, when I saw the graphics of the game. Not that I'm complaining really, I mean, I undertand that the effort put into making the game as free willed as it is, leaves little time to adjust and focus on the graphics of the game solely. But, come on, they could have at least made something a little more eye popping. When I saw the cover of the game - which is amazing - that's how I thought the graphics would turn out, but alas my hopes were crushed by the actual thing, which seemed a bit rushed and unrealistic. Now, don't get my wrong here, alright readers, I'm not saying that the graphics are so awful that you shouldn't go buy the game, I'm just saying they aren't what I expected.

Moving on, assuming I didn't just kill your interest with my petty lingering on something that doesn't really matter, we should really discuss the gameplay, hmm?

Photo Source: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/erikkain/files/2012/10/Dishonored-Piero.jpg

Image Source: Forbes

While I was playing through "Dishonored", I didn't really notice any big issues or bugs that really detracted from the gameplay experience. At least, not until I reached the last few levels of the game, that's where real problems started to build up and get on my nerves. For one thing, I remember on the second to last mission, I was talking to Pierro, the handy-man (who is a very anti-social genius),  had some of his dialogue skipped over, so whilst the conversation was taking place, I was sitting there, controller in hand, wondering what in the world he was talking about. Seriously the conversation went something like this.

"Corvo......On the roof.........Knock out..........Your choice, sir."

I mean, come on now!

Alright, I'm getting heated just talking about it. But, if I was given the choice to buy Dishonored again, or chose a different game, I am more than sure that I would pay the big bills for Dishonored, just to have the one-of-a-kind experience the game offers.

Stepping Foot In The World Of Blogging

I've always wanted to try and start a blog where I could tell short stories based on a picture or piece of art, or review music; something that fit inside two of my greatest interests, and I've finally been given that chance, and I don't intend to squander it. Of course, I can't just jump right in head first without doing my research, which is exactly why I started with the one and only Art Blog.

This certain blog alone shows me just how creative I can be with my voice, while talking about art. Each blog featured sounds somehow different, yet tied to the others, maybe from their word choice, or just from the way they phrase things. But, the Art Blog also can sound very formal and official when reading it, but I suppose that's just how reviews are. This blog in particular inspired me, because I have always been a fan of art - even if I don't understand some of it - and it's uplifting to see that I'm not the only one who has that love for talent. Yet, it truly inspired me when I saw all the different possibilities of art out there, just waiting to be evaluated and reviewed. I think the Art Blog will help me grasp a more profesional tone. One other thing I forgot to mention is the simple, yet interactive layout of the homepage that keeps the the reader involved, and not overwhelmed.

Now, the NPR Music: Blog, however, seemed to have a more peppy, hip, and stylish tone. The thing I enjoyed about this blog was the fact that it let me know what is happening in the art universe, whose gravitational pull is sound itself. This blog, does in fact, give me a few ideas if I do decide to settle for album and band reviews. Because, it allows me to see what keeps this type of audience in the action, and invested in completing the entire review. Possibly, making them want to go to a specific festival or concert. This blog, though, seemed a little harder for me to follow. Not because it was flashy, or in my face, but really, because it involved a lot of scrolling just to find what I'm looking for. I'm naturally a very lazy person, and tend to take the easiest route, but, I don't know...This just didn't seem to work for me as much as the first blog.

If I find myself stuck at a fork in the road, and can't decide between these two blogs, or I just don't want to do either of those in the future, there is no need to worry! I have devised a fallback on video gaming reviews, walkthroughs, and such. Destructoid: For Gamers By Gamers, was really something I cherished. Yes, I know how weird that sounds, and yes I know I may sound nerdy now. But really, games and I are like two peas in a pod, and this blog really captured the type of tone that keeps me reading. A tone I call the teenage voice, it was a bit random and spunky, but it also got through the reviews with a sort of failing grace. It made me chuckle a few times. This blog helps me, because now I know it's okay to write things a bit weird and out of the ordinary, or to even add a tint of humor every now and then.

Víola! I just took my first step into the blogging world.....Only a few million or so left to go, right?